Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

Countless times I have felt like a wholesome, traditional meal but just didn’t have the motivation to cook a big meal for one. I also hate slaving over the stove for hours, stirring and checking temperatures and making sure things aren’t over-boiling. It’s no fun and I don’t enjoy my meal. When I came across this recipe for Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing I was delighted. Not only is this recipe the solution to my dilemma, it’s also delicious. It tastes just like mom cooked it (maybe even a little better – but don’t tell her I said that! Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I want some of her famous stuffing!).

So, I’m used to cooking stews and soups in my Crock-Pot… you know, things that typically need to be mixed altogether. So this chicken and stuffing recipe was a new one for me, but I was craving stuffing and decided to give this a try. While I’m sure you could make up your own stuffing, this recipe for chicken and stuffing calls for Stop Top stuffing, which is a quick cooking (“instant”) stuffing. Unlike traditional stuffing, Stove Top can be prepared on the stove, in a pot. Sold in boxes or canisters, Stop Top stuffing was first introduced by General Foods in 1972 (General Foods merged with Kraft in 1990 to form Kraft General Foods). A decade ago it was reported that about 60 million boxes of Stove Top stuffing is sold at Thanksgiving alone. There are a variety of flavors, but you’ll likely want to go with the Chicken flavor since this is ‘chicken and stuffing’.

The steps are pretty simple. You place your uncooked chicken in the bottom of the Crock-Pot (add a little salt and pepper to them, if desired – but keep in mind the Stove Top stuffing can be a little salty). Then you mix your Stove Top stuffing mix with sour cream, cream of chicken or mushroom soup (you can purchase low fat/low sodium versions of both of these soups so that the dish is less salty) and water. Mix it good, then place it over your chicken breasts. And that’s it. If you want to add-in veggies, like string beans or carrots, you certainly can, but unless you want them mixed into your stuffing mixture, you’ll want to try and set them off to the side of the Crock-Pot so that they remain separate.

As with most Crock-Pot recipes, you’ll have to add water as needed. Each Crock-Pot is a little different, so it’s difficult to know the exact amount. This recipe calls for ľ cup in total (you may need more or less – so it’s best not to pour it all in right at the start). If you do find that you’ve added too much water, you can cook this recipe for the last 30-40 minutes with the top off the Crock-Pot to allow some of the steam to escape which will take some of the moisture out of your stuffing.

Stephanie of “The Cozy Cook” food blog certainly understands cozy cooking. This is definitely a cozy, comforting recipe that should cure your desire for a nice home-cooked chicken and stuffing meal within the first few forkfuls. So, fork away!